Bicentennial Barns

Ohio celebrated its 210th birthday in 2013. Sadly, the birthday celebration did not compare to the ceremony for the state bicentennial in 2003. No, Ohio did not receive an Xbox One or new bike that year. Instead, each county had a barn painted with the Ohio logo. The bicentennial barns started as a creative method of getting low cost, highly visible advertising and soon grew into a state sensation. The project began in 1997 and Ohio selected local artist, Scott Hagan to hand paint each one. After hearing about the concept, thousands of barn owners volunteered their barns for their county’s painting. The project was completed in September 2002 and barns in each of Ohio’s 88 counties had displayed a unique design; just in time for the bicentennial celebration. If you want to view your county’s bicentennial barn design or location, visit ohiobarns.com.